goals

Self-doubt and fear interfere with our ability to achieve or set goals. Self-doubt and fear are the voices in our head telling us, "You'll never succeed, so why try?" and "who do you think you are?" Self-doubt and fear are also what make us listen to those voices and decide to give up before we get started.

Are you a Dreamer? Have you ever said, (wistfully, not in regret), " I wish!" You could be expressing a dream. Do you ever find yourself imagining where you would like to be, geographically or circumstantially? Hey! That's a dream!

The only way to ever get what you want in life is by setting goals. Whether it is in the business world or in your social life, if you set goals you will have a much easier time getting what you want in the end. A lot of people do not set goals because they are afraid that they will never be able to reach them. But this is nonsense. If you know how to set a goal, and what to do to reach it, you will be able to accomplish what you set out to do. By following the five steps below you will be able to set effective and achievable goals.

Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day, knowing you worked your butt off and yet wondering what the heck you actually accomplished or, worse yet, wondering why nothing has been crossed off your “to do” list? It’s frustrating to say the least.

Here are seven strategies guaranteed to increase your productivity…and I don’t use the word “guaranteed” lightly!

1. Most “To-Do” lists are useless.

There, I’ve said it and those time management companies who insist we make lists and put pretty-colored “A”, “B”, and “C” identifiers after tasks will have to deal with it.

Think about your career and the times when you said “I want.” Maybe you said “I want” go to college—and then enrolled in school and completed your degree. Maybe you said “I want” to work for a large or a small company—and you are working there now. Maybe you said “I want” to lead teams—and that’s one of your current responsibilities. “I want” is a very powerful phrase. Without it, it’s hard to go very far.

Are you working on your career goals or just going through the motions? Are you "in" one day and "out" the next? Are you waiting for your goals to inspire and motivate you, and then you will jump in completely?

Your career has its ups and downs. We all have or have had career slumps and they do pass. If you are feeling “slumpish” these days, know that you will look back one day and recognize the valuable lessons you’ve learned from this time in your life. Everything happens for a reason—you just might not know the reason yet.

If this is a down period for you, the good news is it’s up from here.

While You Are Figuring Things Out, Trust That Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day. Here’s How To Focus On What’s Yet To Come.

I recently read about a survey (by the University of Chicago) which suggested that those who relish challenge are more likely to live up to 10 years longer than those who spend their lives inhibited by timidity.

Trying to realise our ambitions, even if we don’t always meet them, is preferable to not having the courage or motivation to take the risk. So not making any resolutions because we fear that we’ll break them is having a defeatist attitude, as we allow procrastination to become an insidious habit which stops us from leading more fulfilling lives.